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Ultrastructural studies and counts of interepithelial lymphocytes and the density of cellular infiltration of the lamina propria were carried out on 10 biopsies of the small intestine from infants of 4 months to 2 years with the syndrome of disturbed intestinal absorption. The greatest disorders were found to occur in celiac disease and intolerance to cow milk protein and to be manifested in subtotal atrophy of villi and destructive lesions of enterocytes. The authors believe that the marked infiltration of the epithelial layer with lymphocytes and the lamina propria of the mucous membrane with plasma cells represent manifestations of the local immunological response.